Riddled With Fear
by LifeofLove
Summary: Dr. Hugo Strange has unleashed the residents of Arkham Asylum secretly to capture the heroes Batman, Robin, and Batgirl. Its up to the heroes to decode the Riddler's clues before Scarecrow frightens them into Strange's submission. (On hiatus, to work on improving my stories)
1. Chapter 1

It was late November, and Barbara busied herself with preparations for her final exams. Christmas break was coming, and she wanted to be fully devoted to fighting the plague that Gotham faced. Every night she'd been to the library or the study hall, meeting with friends or questioning the professors. She'd grown increasingly weary with cramming and learning and felt still as if all the knowledge she was trying to accumulate simply entered into one ear and slipped out the other.

It was cold tonight as Barbara was walking home, wearing a light jacket and a thick scarf. Now walking alone at night is not at all recommended for a citizen of Gotham, much less a young woman. Barbara knew that, but felt as if she could handle herself, should any dangers arise. However, she had lost a lot of sleep and her mind was swimming with theories and equations. She stumbled over an empty paper cup outside of the Gotham Citizens' Bank.

Barbara was not surprised, but mildly aggravated when she heard glass shatter somewhere at the side of the bank. She slipped into the shadow between the bank and the supplemental office building and dug her Batgirl costume out from under her crumpled papers and textbooks.

Her Batgirl costume wasn't so warm. She shivered outside of the bank. She threw her bag behind a trash can and found the shattered glass at the side of the bank. She entered in, quietly, listening for whichever villain this might be, and followed the voices coming from the back of the building.

"Stand guard, Dawson." Said a monotone voice. Barbara recognized Mr. Freeze's almost robotic sound. When did he escape? She wondered. Barbara had missed the news recently, but she wouldn't have seen his escape even if she had. It was hushed by Dr. Strange, who had other agendas as usual. "Lawrence, the diamonds are in the second vault. Its hidden within the first one. Get it open, and be quick about it."

"Yes, sir." Lawrence nervously replied. Barbara had no trouble creeping past Dawson, who was picking his nose and surveying its contents while she slipped unnoticed into the dark room. The one she assumed was Lawrence had a device with red lights on the vault door, and he was pressing buttons on the little machine.

"Why is it taking so long?" Mr. Freeze groaned. "I ought to blast you right here, give you a real brain freeze."

"I've almost got it sir!" Lawrence did not know if his threat was serious, but he didn't want to test it.

"At this rate the Bat will show up before its open." Freeze said anxiously. "In fact, I'd bet he's already here."

"Sometimes they just slip out of the shadows, don't they?" Barbara taunted, but didn't yet show herself.

"Batgirl…" Freeze whispered.

"How are things, Ice Man?" She asked. "You had a pretty quiet get away didn't you? Not even Batgirl noticed."

"Batman did." Replied a deep and now unexpected voice.

"Batman!" Exclaimed Mr. Freeze and Batgirl. Lawrence's device beeped and the vault door swung open. Out of the shadows Batman stepped, with Robin at his side.

"The dynamic duo," Freeze twisted a button on the gun in his hand. It made a high-pitched electrical sound. "Take this!" He lifted his gun and blasted it at Batman, who was likely perceived as the greatest threat. Batman sank into darkness and escaped the cool blast which froze against the wall. "Dawson, get in here!" He shouted, and then quietly to Lawrence, "Lawrence, carry out your duty." The man slipped into the vault unnoticed while Dawson charged at Robin.

Robin ducked under his punch and wrapped his arms around the large man's legs. The man fell over on his back and Robin had him cuffed before he'd realized what happened.

"Watch out!" Barbara had decided to let the guys take care of Dawson, which Dick had done beautifully, but she had seen Mr. Freeze prepare his gun for another blast at Robin. She tackled him out-of-the-way and escaped with only a slight frost on the fringe of her cape.

"Thanks Babs," He gasped. "Where'd that other guy go?"

"He must have gone in the vault." Barbara replied.

"I think he followed him," Dick said. "Batman did. That's why he's missing in action." Barbara dodged a blast from Mr. Freeze but her cape was now a bother. She threw it off and threw a Batarang at Freeze's hand. He dropped his gun and scrambled after it. Batman came back from the vault holding the cowering man by his shirt. He released him by the door and the man collapsed. Batman revealed in his hand the device that the man had held.

"Good work, Batman." Freeze said. "But it's not over yet!" He picked up the gun and shot another blast at Bruce. Bruce ducked under the blast and threw his own Batarang to knock the gun out of his hand again. Now Mr. Freeze punched at him, who dodged his fist and pulled some type of knife from his belt. He stabbed it into the back of Freeze's suit and pressed a button to activate the electrical charge that would short out his suit's strengthening abilities but keep Mr. Freeze cold until he could be transported to his cell in Arkham.

Barbara watched admiringly. Sometimes Bruce's intrusions annoyed her, and sometimes they were just plain cool.

"Good work, you two." Bruce said. "Let's clean this up. Gordon will be here in a minute." He gave Barbara a knowing look and she nodded.

"See you guys later." She remembered her long night of studying, but was glad for her bit of exercise. Dick gave her a little smile and a half wave as she left. She blushed and slipped out the window where she grabbed her bag and went home quietly.

Knowing her father would be at the crime scene, she waited until she was home to change. She folded her costume and put it up in her bag. And then she realized she'd forgotten her cape, but she couldn't very well go back and get it now. She'd have to do without. Perhaps Dick or Bruce would pick it up, but she doubted they would.

She pulled out her books and laid them out on her desk. But then she noticed an envelope in the bottom of her bag which hadn't been there before. It was green, with a purple question mark wax seal. She automatically recognized the Riddler's mark. She pulled her scarf over her mouth and nose before opening the envelope. Barbara didn't notice any gas or hidden toxins. That wasn't the Riddler's usual method anyways. She pulled out the letter and read it.

"Riddle me this, Batgirl

What carries a virus but doesn't move

What shouts to Gotham but doesn't utter a word

It's always changing, but never new

Home to thieves and murderers and a flightless bird?"

"Arkham." The last line kind of gave that one away. She read on.

"Riddle me again,

What loves darkness but fears those who walk in it

What does much evil before bats but will not admit it

What wants power and pleasure without a price

What caters to its own selfish vice?"

This one was a little trickier, but Barbara guessed it was a more general answer. And that answer was: Man

"Finally, Batgirl, riddle me this

The plot puts dark birds inside of a cage

Fueled by a madman who is brilliant and aged

His name is peculiar and his eyes are both glassy

He's been called a peacemaker but he always plays nasty

Why do I warn you? That you must find out

But there will be sinners out and about"

Barbara was pretty good at riddles, but it didn't take a genius to figure out that last one. Hugo Strange, not the most scrupulous doctor/politician/philosopher/scientist/Batman obsessed guy, had some plan to put them, Batman, Robin, and Batgirl, into Arkham, and he was going to use the villains to enforce it.

"This isn't good." She needed to tell Bruce, so she pulled out her cell-phone and sent him a text.

"Got a letter from ?"

"Leave it under your doormat" He replied. She went downstairs and outside and placed it underneath. With a sigh she stared out the door. Gotham…a villainous and treacherous place. It was always cruel, always despicable, always evil. But there was some good that meant to overcome that evil. There was Batman, Robin, and Batgirl, but there was so much more evil than good. And there always would be.

"The night is not the place for a lady." Said a dark, growling voice. Barbara knew it.

"I didn't expect you so soon, Bruce." She replied, giving him a somewhat agitated look. "But I didn't expect you tonight either. I could've handled myself."

"You could've." He replied. "Or you could not. As I understand it, you've got a lot on your plate now."

"Has the world's greatest detective been studying me?" She asked, wondering how he had come by that knowledge."

"Dick told me." He answered. Barbara blushed. They had talked a lot, mostly through text, recently. "And it's not hard to see those bags beneath your eyes. Rest, Barbara, Dick and I will take care of things tonight."

"I hope so." Barbara replied. "The Riddler's hinting at a little more than we've expected. I don't think you knew that Freeze's cell at Arkham was vacant, before tonight." He didn't respond, which Barbara guessed meant he didn't know. "Good night, Bats. See you…around." She went back to her room and poured over her books again, but couldn't help worrying over Riddler's warning. How had he found her? Her identity, she supposed, wouldn't be too hard for his mind. But what if he'd been following her and she didn't notice it? She groaned. She didn't feel like sleeping, she felt too paranoid. She wanted to do something.

Barbara looked out the window. Gotham….Gotham, Gotham, Gotham… She looked back at her table, covered with books and papers, her lamp flickered. She looked at her bed, unmade, clothes at the foot, where were her pillows? There, on the floor beside her bed. She picked them up. They felt so soft…

She hadn't meant to sleep just to rest for a moment, but her long day left her eyes heavy. She drifted into a dream.

In her dream she was in her costume, walking down a long hall. She saw light at the end, but as she approached it she found shadows, they were long shadows casting lines as she got nearer and finally came to bars. Steels bars keeping her in the dark hallway.

Barbara heard sounds behind her. She reached for her pack for Batarangs, but found it was gone. So was her utility belt. The sounds grew nearer and approached the light. She turned to see a terrifying smile accented by red lips and a white face, as well as a baggy mask with an old hat, and red eyes behind a cold glass dome.

Barbara shrank back against the bars as the villains approached.

"Riddle me this," A voice behind her said. She turned back again to see the Riddler with a sadistic grin. His riddles echoed in her mind. As the Joker stretched his hands toward her she closed her eyes and covered her face with her hands, something happened that made him shrink back suddenly. She peeked through her hands to see a bright light shining from behind her, and turned to see Batman holding the Riddler by his shirt, and Robin by his side. He smiled at her and she saw the keys to the cell in his hand.

But then something grabbed her by the shoulder and yanked her back. She screamed and awoke in her room, her father leaning over her and shaking her shoulder.

"Barbara!" He called.

"Dad?" Barbara squinted. "Sorry…I…what time is it?"

"Its three am." He answered her. "Are you alright?"

"Why'd you wake me up?" She asked. She blinked a few times, her eyes adjusting to the light. Her dad must've turned it on.

"Someone broke in." He said seriously.

"What?" Now she was awake. She sat up and looked around her room. Her desk was turned over and her books were on the floor, her clothes were out of her closet and dresser, and all the boxes of old shoes and toys she'd stuffed under her bed were pulled out. Someone had been all over her room and she hadn't even known it. "Oh my goodness…" She put her hands over her mouth.

"I can't believe you slept through all of this!" Jim said worriedly. "Harvey's downstairs, he drove me home, and came in with me when we found the front door open. We checked the rest of the house, whoever broke in is already gone."

"Who do you think it was?" Barbara asked.

"I don't know." Jim sighed. "But he was apparently after something. I think he must've confused this house with the one next door. Kimberly Auburn was recently discovered to have some connection with Thorne. I can't tell you very much, though. You know." She knew more than he guessed. She'd reviewed the case files with Bruce and Dick last week at the Batcave. They suspected Kimberly also had a large supply of Quantum, a popular hallucinogenic drug in, but that is not very important to this story.

Barbara suspected that was what her father was thinking about, but Barbara assumed that someone had broken in looking for the Riddler's letter. She didn't at all like the thought that whoever it was had come into her room while she slept to look for it. Why hadn't they messed with her? Not that Barbara had wanted someone to mess with her, it just seemed peculiar that they hadn't.

"I just wanted to check on you." Barbara could tell her dad was more relaxed. "I think you can sleep easy now."

"Not until I get this all cleaned up." Barbara replied with a half-smile.

**A/N: I hope you liked it, and will review and critique my story. Lord willing, I will post a new chapter each week on Friday around 5 PM, save some special occassions, but I don't know for certain yet. Also, I'm looking for a beta-reader. If you have an interest, please say so in a review or PM.**


	2. Chapter 2

In the cold and dark Batcave, Dick perched upon a rock and watched Alfred clean the computer screen. Bruce had just left to get a letter that the Riddler had left for Barbara, and he didn't want Dick to come along. Bruce had probably guessed how Dick felt about Barbara, he'd always liked her. But recently he felt like he liked her more, or that it was more than liking. He wanted to be with her, to talk to her, to spend time with her, and he definitely wanted to be there if the Riddler was trying to mess with her.

"Lost in thought, young master?" Alfred said, now close to him. Dick had been so out of it that he hadn't realized Alfred had come close.

"I guess so." He slid off of the rock and walked alongside Alfred, back towards the elevator.

"Pennyworth for your thoughts?" He said with a smile. Dick smiled back.

"I feel kind of funny." Dick sighed. Alfred was always good to talk to. "About Barbara."

"Ah yes." Alfred nodded. "All young men begin to feel differently about women in their adolescent years. But Barbara specifically? I suppose you haven't talked to her about it."

"No way." Dick yawned.

"Perhaps you should." Alfred suggested. "After all, young women also develop feelings toward young men. Perhaps she feels the same way as you, and only waits for you to make the first move."

"I don't know." They arrived back in the house, and stepped out of the elevator. The bookshelf slid back in front of it. "Do you think I should?"

"Why not?" Alfred shrugged.

"I'll think about it." Dick said, and walked towards the kitchen to find something to eat.

"Young master," Alfred called after him. "I suggest you go upstairs and get some rest."

"I'm not tired." Dick replied. "I'll probably be up at least another hour or so." He figured that if Bruce didn't call him for backup, he could just play video games for a while, or maybe he'd text Barbara.

"Another hour?" Alfred had finished cleaning the screen and was coming down the ladder. "Wonderful. Plenty of time for you to study for your Forensics exam."

"Alfred!" Dick groaned.

"No excuses, Dick." Alfred replied. "Bruce insists that you don't waste so much time on those silly computer games. There's more to life than a computer screen." Alfred said. He held up the cloth and spraybottle he'd cleaned the Batcave computer with and shook his head. "Change into your other clothes and I'll clean that suit."

Dick changed and spent a while in his room at his desk, staring at his books but ignoring the text. He wanted to go back out and fight. He wanted to knock out the Joker or smack down his henchmen. Bruce's words rang in his head. He knew it wasn't about beating people up. It was about stopping them, about fighting for what's right, and_ if _it came to fighting, they would fight. Disarm and disable (not a limb-breaking disable), that's what Bruce taught him.

Yet as he stared down at the words that seemed blank and empty he thought of Barbara and her tackling him out-of-the-way. There were so many times she'd saved his life, and he hers, though tonight was not necessarily life-endangering. He smiled as he remembered the time she caught his hand before he fell of the building after being thrown by Bane. He respected her certainly. He wondered if maybe he should ask her out sometime. He was pretty sure she liked him, and hey, he could use a break from fighting and studying all the time. She probably could too.

He looked at his alarm clock by his bed. It was twelve thirteen. He groaned. He still wasn't tired and he hadn't got anything done. His cell-phone beeped once and he pulled it out. "Scarecrow at the water treatment facility downtown." Said the text. He smiled and rushed to the Batcave.

"Off to rescue Master Bruce, I presume?" Alfred asked as he changed into his Robin costume.

"Scarecrow's out and about." Dick replied as he put on his mask. He would've been on his motorcycle already if Alfred hadn't caught him.

"Take the pre-antidote." Alfred told him, handing him a vial. "And put these in your pack, in case Bruce has fallen prey to Scarecrow's toxin."

"Got it." Dick dropped the other vials into his pack and drank the first one Alfred had given him. It was disgusting, but he guessed he'd be glad for it later. He zoomed out of the Batcave to the streets of Gotham. When he made it to the water treatment plant, he could hear clanging sounds from somewhere within.

Inside, Batman and Scarecrow were fighting on a pipe over bubbling sewage. How typical, Dick thought. Apparently Bruce had taken a spray from Scarecrow's toxin, because when Bruce got close to him, Scarecrow would laugh or spread his hands out in a way that would make Bruce cringe.

Dick shot his grappling hook so that it wrapped around the pipe, and swung up to join Bruce and Scarecrow.

"The Boy Wonder!" Scarecrow smile. "I wonder what he's afraid of?" He released a puff of gas in his face, but Dick held his breath. He'd already taken the pre-antidote anyways. Dick knocked Scarecrow off his feet but caught him by his leg before he fell into the sewage. He tied him up and to the pipe before he went to Bruce, who'd stumbled back to stable ground on the other side of the pipe. Dick went to him. He could tell Bruce was seeing terrifying things, he pulled the cap from the vial and handed it to him. Dick could only guess what Bruce thought was in the vial. A worm? Blood? Bruce closed his eyes and forced down the antidote.

"I need to rest," Bruce told him, leaning his head against the pile of boxes which he sat by. Sometimes the fear toxin simply exhausted your mind. Dick turned to attend to the Scarecrow, but he was gone. The rope with which Dick had tied him now floated in the sewage below.

"Guess who?" Came Crane's twisted voice. He fell on Dick from behind and pinned him to the ground. Something hit him hard in the back of the head and he blacked out.

Barbara was not ready for school, she was exhausted and unprepared. However, she made it through the day, but not without a nap or two between classes. She was thankful as ever that it was Friday, though a dismal and rainy Friday it had been.

When the school day was done, she went to the library. Before she turned of her cell-phone, she noticed a text from an unknown number. When she looked at it, she knew who it was from.

_"? me this_

_ What's black and red and in the dark takes flight_

_He's caught and so was the Bat last night_

_ The peculiar man is smarter than I thought_

_He knows who I went to and what I sought_

_ He wants to use me, and maybe he will_

_Or meet me at 9 at the club that is owned by the bill"_

Now he had her number? How? Batman did always say he was a genius, always trying to solve mysteries, but this just wasn't fair.

What did he want out of this? Why would he help her? She tried to think. Aside from the Batman family, Hugo was one of the people who knew his identity. The Riddler didn't. Did he want Bruce's identity? Did he expect her to give it to him? That didn't sound like the Riddler. According to Batman, he liked puzzles. He would want to figure it out himself.

So Batman and Robin were kidnapped and it was up to Batgirl and _the Riddler _to save the day? How weird was that? Barbara couldn't think of a good reason for him to lie. She decided to believe what he told her. The club owned by the bill-that would be The Iceberg Lounge. The bill, of course, being the Penguin. Hopefully she could avoid any undesirable run-ins with him.

Barbara didn't think she could easily study her schoolwork now. At least tomorrow was Saturday. She turned on her laptop and accessed Bruce's information. He'd updated Arkham's status. Mr. Freeze was the only super-villain they had in custody. Not surprising, Hugo Strange was head of administration and head psychiatrist. Bruce had pinpointed some areas that the villains might be found at. He suspected Scarecrow was hiding out at the Gotham Water Treatment Facilities. The Joker could be creeping around the amusement park, or perhaps he was at Ace Chemical Processing Inc.'s old building. The Penguin was probably at one of his many facilities or hanging out with mob bosses-there were too many possibilities for him. The Riddler's location was a mystery, but Barbara got a general idea of where he was. Other villains, Killer Croc, Poison Ivy, Bane, Clayface, Killer Moth, Man-Bat, The Mad Hatter, Ventriloquist, and others were still out and in unknown areas. Barbara would have her work cut out for her if they tried to do something. She wished she could call Bruce, but the only person she could rely on for help now was the Riddler-and how could she rely on the Riddler?

Night couldn't come soon enough. Barbara was reluctant to enter the nightclub, but duty calls. She held her nose, the place smelled of raw fish and alcohol. Slow and whiny music was playing. She didn't like the looks of anyone in the club.

The Penguin's obnoxious laughter sounded from the other side of the room. He held a glass in his hand and sat in a chair much too large for him, next to a glowing iceberg. Barbara saw men stumbling to the bathroom. Personally she tried to stay away from alcohol altogether.

She thought she might have seen Mrs. Quinzel walking behind the bar, or Mrs. Isley slipping into the ladies' room.

"Shall we go for a stroll, Mrs. Gordon?" Asked a tall man with sleek black hair. Barbara was looking up at the Riddler. In his hand he held a cane with a question mark at the top.

"After you." He led her outside and they walked down the cold and wet street. "So tell me what you know."

"I think I ought to ask first, don't you?" The Riddler replied. "After all, I did invite you. Not you, me."

"Fine." Barbara said. "What do you want to ask?"

"When was the last time you spoke to the Bat?" He said, twirling his cane. A streetlight flickered.

"Last night. Around ten I guess." She answered.

"Why?" Riddler asked.

"He wanted to see the letter." Barbara replied.

"Understandable." He nodded. "I was curious to find out how Crane got a hold of it. Nevertheless, it blew my cover. I won't be able to work alongside Strange anymore."

"Why did you send me that letter?" Barbara asked.

"I guess its your turn." He sighed. "Hugo knows Batman's identity. He's told me so. He promised to tell me if I aid him."

"Isn't that what you want?"

"I don't want someone to tell me the Bat's identity." The Riddler replied. "I want to find out myself. Dear Barbara, if you could see, this is the biggest mystery. It's the only one I haven't been able to solve yet. I don't care for money any longer. I want to know the Bat's secret."

"What would you do with it?"

"I would do what I always do." The Riddler smirked. "Move on to the next puzzle. But this puzzle puzzles me too much. If Strange tells me, all my riddling has been in vain. No, I will discover who the Bat is myself. And I must stop Strange from revealing it." Barbara was interested, though a bit disturbed, by the Riddler's peculiar mind.

"There she is!" Exclaimed a somewhat annoying voice. Barbara looked up to see Harley Quinn and a giant vine, just before it curled around her and the Riddler.

"Did you set me up?" Barbara asked indignantly.

"Does it look like I set you up?" The Riddler replied as he struggled against the vines.

"Strange sent us." Poison Ivy said with her dark green lips slightly curled. "He wasn't happy when he found that note. But we've already got the other two, and now we've got her. Strange says you can stay with them in Arkham. I'm sure he'll have a great evaluation of your mental state."

"Isley and Quinzel…" The Riddler snarled. "Come on Batgirl, don't you have some Bat-hedge-clippers or something?"

"I do have something." Barbara replied. She slipped her hand into her pocket and crushed a capsule. Gas fumed out from the capsule and the vine withered. Barbara and the Riddler escaped the vine and prepared to fight.

"Take this!" Harley swung her hammer at the Riddler, who fell over backwards as he dodged it.

"Surprise!" A gunshot rang out and confetti rained down. Green gas clouded the air. Barbara had recognized the voice and pulled out her gas mask to cover her face and nose in time. Riddler stumbled and fell over, chuckling.

The green gas grew thicker and thicker and Barbara began to get woozy, though she wore her mask. She stumbled away from the cloud of Joker gas and escaped into an alley. She didn't like leaving the Riddler behind, but she wouldn't have been able to save him. She changed into her Batgirl costume. She could hear Ivy's and Harley's voices now, and psychotic laughing, and guessed that tonight would be a long night.


	3. Chapter 3

The room wobbled and slowly came into focus. Soon Dick could see he was in an old building, the light was a dim green and cast its color on the old brick walls. He was in a cell, there were four in this room, but the other three were empty. Bruce was also unconscious, slumped over. They were still in their costumes, still had their masks, but their belts were gone.

In the middle of the room was a table, and he could see his pack (which had held the fear toxin antidote) and their belts on it. Soon a fog appeared, and Dick quickly realized it was fear toxin.

He tried to cover his mouth and nose with his cape, but the toxin seeped through. Now he saw a long slender hand with black claws clinging to the table. A hideous face of straw and fangs looked over the table to Dick. He screamed.

Barbara didn't know how much longer she could take it. She was in a parking deck now, slicing through vines with her last Batarang.

When Ivy didn't have vines all over the place, Harley Quinn was swinging at her with her hammer. When she was safe for a second, Joker would shoot at her and she never knew when it was a real bullet or confetti.

Batgirl dove behind a truck and tried to catch her breath.

"Where's Batgirl?" Joker let out a terrible cackle. "Eenie," He destroyed one car. "Meenie," The next car. It was two away. Barbara needed to move. "Minie," It was right next to her. "Mo!" He destroyed the car in front of her before she could jump out of the way. It exploded and she flew to the back of the parking deck. Immediately after she slammed into the hood of the car, a vine wrapped around her leg and hoisted her up into the air. The three villains stood before her. Harley and Ivy were smirking, and Joker looked up with that signature smile.

"Nice work, ladies." Joker cackled. "Hugo will go bonkers for his bat collection! Ha!" Barbara looked for something she might use to escape. She wasn't going to give up. She heard a metallic sound somewhere above her, and something shiny fell in front of her. A coin. It fell on the ground in front of her, and circled a few times before it finally landed. It had an X scratched into it.

"What are you guys doing here?" Asked a frighteningly intense voice.

"It's all part of the plan, Faces." Harley said cautiously.

"No, the coin says differently." Two-Face jumped down from the higher deck and started firing at them. They jumped out-of-the-way and Ivy's vine loosened. Barbara fell to the ground.

It was tempting, as it always way in these sort of situations, to leave the villains to their fate, but Barbara couldn't do that. She threw her last Batarang and knocked the gun out of Two-Face's hand.

"Batgirl!" He scowled. In his hand now was something that looked like a bomb. She grabbed the gun, now she could leave. She didn't know where she was going, she just had to get out.

She felt safer on the street. She blended into the shadows and made her way to a dumpster. Under the first layer of garbage was a chest Bruce had left years ago. She opened it up and restocked her supply of Batarangs.

"Now what, Barbara?" She sighed. She didn't know whether to find a place to rest for now or go back to the parking deck and try to tackle all four criminals at once. The second idea sounded a bit frivolous. Suddenly her cell-phone rang. She was pretty sure no one had followed her, though, so she didn't worry about her cover being blown and answered it. "Hello?"

"Good evening, Miss Barbara." Alfred said.

"Alfred?" He never called. How did he have her number? "Um…how can I help you?"

"I was wondering if you had any news of either Master Bruce or Master Richard." He asked.

"Oh." She cleared her throat. "Hate to break it to you, Alfred, but it seems Hugo Strange has both of them locked up in Arkham."

"Oh dear." He sounded very troubled. Alfred was a good guy with a big heart. He was silent for a moment. "I could use your help, then, if you don't mind."

"You could use help?" Barbara said with a stressed laugh. Bruce had tons of stuff in the Batcave! She'd never got to go without Bruce's watchful eye on her.

"When can you get here?"

"Give me five minutes." She knew her way around Gotham. And she knew Bruce's "shortcuts" pretty well. She felt around under the dumpster for a switch. When she flipped it, the dumpster closed and flipped over. A tunnel opened up in the concrete and Barbara entered it.

**Hey guys! Shorter chapter this time, started late. I hope to maybe upload another chapter later this week, but wanted to get this out at least for you guys! Thanks for reading, please leave a review!**


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